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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Vol. 31 No. 1 Jan.-Mar. 2006 The Influence of the Ramayana on Thai Culture: Kingship, Literature, Fine Arts and Performing Arts 274 also be removed. These puppets or Hun Yai are real works of art. Hun Yai was performed in the Ayudhya period, possibly from the reign of King Baromakot (A.D. 1733-1748) 9 if not earlier. As these Hun Yai are quite difficult and expensive to make and the movements are not as beautiful as the Khon performers that they try to imitate, the Hun Yai performance is not popular. No private performing troupe performs this kind of puppetry. It was only performed as part of the entertainment for a royal celebration in Ayudhya and early Bangkok periods. As they are presented during royal functions, they are also called Hun Luang as “Luang” means “royal”. Now “Hun Luang” is no longer per- formed. During the reign of King Rama V, Hun Chin from China came into fashion. 10 It inspired the creation of a new Hun of the same size as Hun Chin which is only one foot tall. It has also the same mechanisms as Hun Yai and the difference is only in the size. This new Hun or puppet is smaller, therefore it is called Hun Lek as “Lek” means “small”. It is used for performing the Ramakien and other kinds of dramas. Hun Lek, now called Hun Lakhon Lek is at present perfected by a troupe called Jo Louis. The Thai artist-teacher SakhonYangkheosod, nick-named Jo Louis, has three artists to ma- nipulate each puppet: one holding the pole in the middle of the puppet body and manipulating the head and the right hand, one manipu- lating the left hand and the third one manipulating the feet. The three artists’ feet also dance to the music. In this way, the puppet can dance exactly like the Khon character while the audience can see and admire the skill of the artists manipulating the puppets. Hun Krabok is another kind of puppet. It is so called because it uses a small bamboo trunk, which is called Krabok in Thai, to hold the puppet. Hun Krabok also originated during the reign of King Rama V. It is only a half- figure puppet showing the head, hands and costume but no feet. The puppeteer can control its movements much better than Hun Yai and Hun Lek. The pup- peteer uses his hands to mani- pulate the puppet behind a semi- transparent screen. He also speaks the puppet’s part. Hun Krabok performs the Ramakien as well as other classical dramas. Lakhon Lek is another kind of puppet. It has a full figure with supple moving joints. It needs two to three puppeteers to manipulate each character. Apart from the bamboo trunk, this Lakhon Lek figure also has small sticks attached to the hands and feet of the puppet. While the sticks help make movements more lifelike and smooth, the audience who can see the sticks cannot forget that it is a mere puppet. Lakhon Lek is almost like Hun Lakhon Lek except that the latter shows the manipulators on stage while the former has the manipulator hidden behind the screen. Nowadays Hun Krabok and Lakhon Lek are rarely performed but they are revived in academic institutions such as colleges and universities as courses in the theatre arts curriculum or as extra- curricular activities. Now the use of plastic poles instead of bamboo makes the puppets lighter and more manageable. They are also performed for tourists interested in Thai arts. Arts derived from various forms of the performing arts It can be seen from above that the Ramakien performance gives rise to various arts: drama, dance, music, singing and recitation, choreography, the making of cos- tumes, various kinds of puppets, leather puppets for shadow plays, stage set, special effects and tech- niques. The dancing, music, tunes, singing and recitation must combine and compliment one another. Besides the masks and costumes which differentiate one character from another, the dance movements of human characters, demons and monkeys are dis- tinctive. Masks or headdresses with high pointed tops signify royalty or kingship. Each mask is different in its details such as